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Daily Archive: May 12, 2010

by Frank EltmanAssociated Press Writer GARDEN CITY, N.Y. (AP)—A weekly newspaper photo depicting President Barack Obama and his wife as characters from the TV sitcom “Sanford and Son” was intended as political satire and not a racist commentary, the publisher said May 5. Phillip Sciarello, publisher and part owner of the Smithtown Messenger on New York’s Long Island, defended the decision to publish the photo, but added the newspaper would run a retraction in its next edition for anyone who might have been offended. CONTROVERSIAL PHOTO—In this page copied from the Smithtown Messenger weekly newspaper May 5, a group of photos showing recent presidents with their wives in a “before and after” sequence is shown.

by Thomas J. SheerenAssociated Press Writer CLEVELAND (AP)—An Ohio man tasted freedom for the first time in nearly 30 years May 5 after a judge vacated his conviction because DNA evidence showed he did not rape an 11-year-old girl. “It finally happened, I’ve been waiting,” Raymond Towler, 52, said as he hugged sobbing family members in the courtroom. He walked from the courthouse, arms around relatives, amid the smell of freshly cut grass, blooming trees and a brisk wind off Lake Erie. He was headed to an “everything on it” pizza party. RAYMOND TOWLER

by Don BabwinAssociated Press Writer CHICAGO (AP)—A judge in Chicago ordered sheriff’s deputies to take Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade’s estranged wife into custody after she failed to show up for a divorce hearing. Siohvaughn Wade will have to post $10,000 bond to be released, Cook County Circuit Judge Marya Nega said. The sheriff’s department couldn’t immediately say when the order would be carried out. NO SHOW—This June 22, 2006, photo shows Siohvaughn Wade, wife of Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade, at the NBA store in New York.

Week of May 14-20 May 14 1885—Erskine Henderson, an African-American jockey, won the Kentucky Derby on “Joe Cotton”—a horse trained by Alex Perry—an African-American trainer. Henderson was the sixth Black jockey to win the coveted race. Indeed, Black jockeys and trainers dominated the Kentucky Derby from 1875 to 1902. However, while some of the reasons are not entirely clear, it appears that as the race became more and more prosperous Black jockeys and trainers were forced out.

by Candice ChoiAP Personal Finance Writer NEW YORK (AP)—Genealogy is hot again. Shows such as “Faces of America” on PBS and “Who Do You Think You Are?” on NBC are renewing the country’s fascination with family histories. And unlike when the TV series “Roots” aired in the 1970s, consumers now have numerous tools to dig up their ancestral pasts. Websites that enable you to research your family tree or submit to DNA testing can be costly, however, and the results likely won’t be as dramatic as shown on TV.

In 1952, I became a registered voter and have voted in each and every election since. Prior to my being eligible to vote, I had recognized the overwhelming importance and significance of being a sophisticated voter. Over the years we have too frequently voted against our own best interests by not taking time to analyze our candidates. In every election the phrase is repeated that this election may be the most important in history, and I will repeat it again, “The election this year will be the most important election in the history of Pennsylvania.”

(NNPA)—At the invitation of Michael McMillan, I traveled to St. Louis last week to address the annual Salute to Women Leadership awards luncheon. For seven years, McMillan has been sponsoring this extravagant event. The fact that a man would sponsor it and have the temerity to invite another man to serve as the event’s keynote speaker makes a significant public statement: It’s fine for women to honor one another, but it’s equally important that males honor and respect women.

Last week, Americans of all nationalities celebrated Cinco de Mayo; some, like me, acknowledged the day by enjoying margaritas and carne asada. Others, like the Mexican students at Live Oak High School in Northern California, observe the day by wearing the Mexican colors of red, white and green. In a gesture meant to display American pride, five Live Oak students—Daniel Galli, Austin Carvalho, Matt Dariano, Dominic Maciel, and Clayton Howard—decided to wear American flag T-shirts and bandannas. After receiving complaints from some Mexican students, Assistant Principal Miguel Rodriguez asked the boys to turn their shirts inside out. The boys refused, were threatened with suspension, and asked to leave the campus.

(NNPA)—For my money the debate over immigration reform is far too narrow. Our civil rights leaders have followed the predictable dynamic created by Hispanics who have justly mobilized to normalize their status in America. We should support them because the stakes of strengthening our coalition at this moment in history will bear substantial fruit as both groups become a larger part of American society, its political system and its economy. So, it is a civil rights struggle to oppose the racist law passed by the Arizona legislature to profile Hispanics and relate any illegal acts to their immigration status.

(NNPA)—If you ever attended a National Council of Negro Women event, you ended up singing “This Little Light of Mine” at the end of the event. It was Dr. Dorothy Irene Height’s favorite song, “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine.” The civil rights pioneer, Fannie Lou Hamer, also loved to sing “This Little Light of Mine,” and it is easy to see why. The song encompasses humility and empowerment, the recognition that each light is little, but that in choosing to allow it to shine, to amplify, it can be great.